Sample offer letter
Three versions follow. The first is the one most frontline employers need and the one most template libraries do not publish: an hourly, non-exempt offer. The second is the salaried version. The third is a contingent offer, where the letter goes out before the background check or drug screen has cleared. Copy the one that matches the role, replace anything in brackets, and read the wording notes underneath before you send it.
Every sample below is written to be sent as a PDF attachment to an email, with the body of the email carrying the two sentences that actually get read on a phone: the job title and the pay. If the letter is the email, use the offer email template further up this page instead.
Sample 1 — hourly, non-exempt (frontline)
[Date]
Dear [Candidate first name],
We are pleased to offer you the position of [Job title] at [Company name], reporting to [Manager name, title], at our [Location] site.
This is an hourly, non-exempt position paying [$00.00] per hour. Hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at one and one-half times your regular rate, in line with federal and [state] law. Your scheduled shift is [days, start and end time]; [a shift differential of $0.00 per hour applies to hours worked between 00:00 and 00:00].
Your first day is [Start date] at [time], at [address]. Please bring [documents] so we can complete your paperwork.
You will be eligible for [health, dental, vision] on [the first of the month following 60 days of employment], and for [PTO accrual / 401(k)] as described in the plan documents, which govern in all cases.
Employment at [Company name] is at will. That means either you or the company may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice. Nothing in this letter is a contract of employment or a guarantee of employment for any period of time.
If this offer is acceptable, please sign and return this letter by [date]. We are glad to have you joining the crew.
Sincerely,
[Name, title]
Accepted: ______________________ Date: ____________
Sample 2 — salaried, exempt
[Date]
Dear [Candidate first name],
[Company name] is pleased to offer you the position of [Job title], reporting to [Manager name, title], based at [Location / remote].
The annual salary for this position is [$00,000], paid [semi-monthly] in accordance with the company's standard payroll schedule. This position is classified as exempt from overtime under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
Your anticipated start date is [Start date].
You will be eligible to participate in [benefit plans] beginning [date], subject in each case to the terms of the applicable plan documents. [You will be eligible for an annual bonus target of 00% of base salary, paid at the company's discretion based on company and individual performance.]
Employment with [Company name] is at will and may be terminated by either party at any time, with or without cause or notice. This letter is not a contract of employment and does not guarantee employment for any specific duration.
Please confirm your acceptance by signing below and returning this letter by [date].
Sincerely,
[Name, title]
Accepted: ______________________ Date: ____________
Sample 3 — contingent offer (background check, drug screen, license)
[Date]
Dear [Candidate first name],
We are pleased to offer you the position of [Job title] at [Company name], reporting to [Manager name], at [Location], paying [$00.00 per hour / $00,000 per year].
This offer is contingent on:
1. Satisfactory completion of a background check, conducted by a consumer reporting agency with your written authorization;
2. A negative result on a pre-employment drug screen, to be completed within [00] hours of your acceptance;
3. Verification of your [CDL Class A and current medical certification / state license or certification], valid and in good standing;
4. Your ability to provide documentation establishing identity and authorization to work in the United States on or before your first day.
If any contingency is not met, this offer will be withdrawn and no employment relationship will have been created.
Subject to the above, your first day would be [Start date] at [time].
Employment at [Company name] is at will. This letter is not a contract of employment.
Please sign below to accept and to confirm that you can meet these conditions.
Sincerely,
[Name, title]
Accepted: ______________________ Date: ____________
A contingent offer has one rule worth more than the rest of the letter: do not let the candidate resign from another job until the contingencies have cleared, and say so in the email that carries the letter. The cost of getting that wrong is a person with no income and a claim that they relied on your offer.
Offer letter builder
Fill in what you know. The letter assembles below in the format above, with the at-will sentence, the classification line and the contingency block wired to your answers. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Exempt means exempt from overtime. The federal salary floor is $684 a week.
Hourly rate, or annual salary if salaried.
Offer letter format: the eight blocks, in order
Every offer letter that works is the same eight blocks in the same sequence. The format is not a style choice — the order is what stops a candidate from having to hunt for the number they actually care about, and it is what stops you from leaving out the sentence that keeps the letter from reading as a contract.
| Block | What goes in it | The mistake to avoid |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Date and greeting | The date the offer is made, and the candidate's first name. | No date. The acceptance deadline later in the letter then has nothing to count from. |
| 2. The offer sentence | Exact job title, company, manager, and work location. | A job title that differs from the one in the posting. Candidates notice, and it reads as a downgrade. |
| 3. Pay | Rate and period, stated the way it will be paid: an hourly rate for non-exempt roles, an annual salary for exempt ones. | Annualizing an hourly rate. "$45,760 per year" for a $22.00 hourly job implies 2,080 guaranteed hours you have not promised. |
| 4. Classification and hours | Exempt or non-exempt, the scheduled shift, and how overtime is paid. | Leaving classification out entirely, then paying a salary to someone who is legally non-exempt. |
| 5. Start date and logistics | First day, start time, address, what to bring, who to ask for. | "We will be in touch about your start date." The offer goes stale in the gap. |
| 6. Benefits | What they are eligible for and when, with a sentence putting plan documents in control. | Describing plan details in the letter. If the plan changes, the letter is now wrong. |
| 7. Contingencies | Background check, drug screen, license verification, work authorization — each named, with the consequence if one fails. | "Subject to our standard checks." Too vague to rely on if you later need to withdraw. |
| 8. At-will statement and signature | The at-will sentence, the disclaimer that the letter is not a contract, the acceptance deadline, and a signature line. | Language like "permanent position" or "you will be with us for years" that undercuts the at-will sentence three paragraphs above it. |
Montana is the exception to block 8. It is the only state without default at-will employment: under its Wrongful Discharge From Employment Act, once an employee finishes the probationary period, discharge must be for good cause. An at-will sentence copied from a national template does not change that.
The wording that changes what the letter means
Four phrases do almost all of the damage in offer letters, and all four are in the templates circulating online.
"Annual salary" on a non-exempt job. If the person is paid by the hour, write the hourly rate. Converting it to a yearly figure looks generous and creates an expectation of a guaranteed annual amount that an hourly, at-will job does not carry. For frontline roles this is the single most common wording error we see.
"Permanent" or "regular full-time" as a promise. These are payroll categories, not durations. If the letter uses them, keep the at-will sentence in the same paragraph so the category is not read as a term.
Benefit detail without a plan-documents clause. Say what they are eligible for and when, then add that the plan documents govern. Without it, a letter that promises "full health coverage" is being read against a plan that has a deductible.
Vague contingencies. If the offer depends on a check, name the check. A background check run through a consumer reporting agency also has its own sequence — authorization first, then the pre-adverse notice and a copy of the report before any decision. We set that order out on our page on how to vet a candidate.
One classification figure changed this year and most offer-letter guidance has not caught up. The Department of Labor's 2024 rule would have taken the salary floor for the executive, administrative and professional exemptions to $1,128 a week. That rule was vacated in Texas, the Fifth Circuit disposed of the appeals in May 2026, and the DOL restored the prior figure: $684 a week, or $35,568 a year, with the highly compensated employee threshold back at $107,432. If a template you copied quotes $844 or $1,128, it is describing a rule that is not in force.
What the offer letter does not do
An offer letter is not a wage notice, and in two of the largest states that distinction is a separate piece of paper.
California requires employers to give non-exempt employees a written notice at hire under Labor Code section 2810.5 — pay rate and basis, allowances, the regular payday, the employer's legal name and address, and workers' compensation carrier details, on the Labor Commissioner's template or an equivalent. New York requires a notice at hire for every employee under Labor Law section 195.1, including the rate, the overtime rate where applicable, and the payday, in English and in the employee's primary language. An offer letter can be written to carry the same facts, but it does not substitute for the notice unless it contains everything the notice requires.
Two more things the letter does not do. It does not complete the I-9: Section 1 comes on or before the first day of work for pay, and Section 2 within three business days after, neither of which can be done off the back of a signed offer. And it does not satisfy a posting-stage pay range requirement in the states and the District of Columbia that mandate one, a list that keeps growing — that duty attaches to the job advertisement, before anyone is ever offered anything. Our job posting template covers which jurisdictions those are.
Offer letter with contingencies: what can be a condition, and when it can run
Sample 3 above is the letter. This is the reasoning behind it, because for some checks the conditional offer is not a courtesy: the law says the check cannot happen until an offer exists.
| Contingency | When it can run | The rule that decides it |
|---|---|---|
| Medical exam or physical | Only after a conditional offer | Under the ADA, 29 CFR 1630.14, a post-offer exam is allowed only if every entering employee in the same job category gets it, and the results go in a separate, confidential medical file |
| Criminal history | In a growing list of states and cities, only after a conditional offer | California, for example, bars employers with five or more employees from asking about conviction history before a job offer. Check your state and city |
| Background check through a screening company | After the candidate's written authorization | The FCRA sequence: authorization first, and the pre-adverse and adverse action notices before any decision against the candidate |
| License or certification | Any time; verify before the first shift | Name the credential exactly: CDL class and current medical certification (since June 23, 2025 a CDL holder need not carry the certificate, but must be medically certified), nursing license and state |
| Work authorization | On or before the first day | The I-9 documents, not E-Verify. An E-Verify case may only be created after the candidate has accepted the offer and completed the I-9, never to screen candidates, so it cannot be a condition of making the offer |
Three drafting rules make the contingencies hold up if you ever have to rely on them. Name each one rather than writing "subject to our standard checks". Give each a deadline, as the drug screen line in Sample 3 does. And say what happens if one fails: the offer is withdrawn and no employment relationship has been created. For which conditions you can lawfully attach, and in what order, see our guide to the conditional job offer; for the criminal-history timing rules by jurisdiction, see ban the box laws by state.
If they do not sign
Give a real deadline — two to three business days for an hourly frontline role, up to a week for a salaried one — and put it in the letter rather than in a follow-up text. A deadline that exists only in your head reads to the candidate as unlimited time to keep interviewing.
If the deadline passes with no answer, one call and one text, then move on. Frontline candidates in particular are usually holding two or three live processes; silence after an offer normally means they took another one, not that they missed the email. If your pipeline is thin enough that a single non-acceptance stalls the role, the problem is upstream of the letter: across 891 campaigns in our 2026 benchmark data, the median campaign delivered an applicant for $13.88, and the median monthly budget of $334 produced about 20 of them.
If you have to withdraw an offer, do it in writing, state which contingency failed, and do it before the candidate's start date wherever possible. Where the withdrawal follows a consumer report, the pre-adverse and adverse action steps apply in full.
How to rescind a job offer (letter template)
A rescind offer of employment letter should be short, factual and sent before the start date wherever possible. Say which contingency was not met, or which business reason changed, and nothing else. Do not add opinions about the candidate, and do not give a reason you would not want to defend.
If the reason came from a background check run by a screening company, the letter is the second of two notices, not the first. Before deciding, the FCRA requires a pre-adverse action notice with a copy of the report and A Summary of Your Rights Under the Fair Credit Reporting Act, so the candidate can tell you if the report is wrong. The FTC does not set a number of days to wait; wait long enough for that to be real. Some states and cities add their own notices and response periods on top, especially for criminal history.
[Date]
Dear [Candidate first name],
On [offer date] we offered you the position of [Job title] at [Company name], contingent on [the contingency, as worded in the offer letter]. I am writing to let you know that we are withdrawing that offer because [the contingency that was not met, stated factually / the business reason].
[Include only if the decision was based in whole or in part on a consumer report:] This decision was based in whole or in part on information in a report from [screening company name, address and phone number]. [Screening company] did not make this decision and cannot give you the specific reasons for it. You have the right to dispute the accuracy or completeness of any information in the report with [screening company], and to get an additional free copy of your report from them if you ask within 60 days.
We appreciate the time you gave to our process, and we are sorry this is not the outcome either of us wanted.
Sincerely,
[Name, title]
The consumer-report paragraph carries the three things the FTC says an adverse action notice must include. If the candidate has already resigned from another job on the strength of your offer, talk to counsel before you send this.
Job Offer Letter Template: Samples, Format and Wording
A job offer letter should confirm the position, pay, schedule, and start date in writing, along with any conditions the offer depends on — a background check, a license verification, or a reference check. It is not the same as an employment contract: most offer letters for hourly and frontline roles state that employment is at-will, meaning either side can end it at any time. The template below covers the fields a compliant offer letter needs.
What a job offer letter needs to include
- Job title and reporting manager. The exact title being offered and who the person reports to.
- Start date. A specific date, not a range — ranges create confusion about when onboarding paperwork and orientation actually begin.
- Pay and pay frequency. The rate, and whether it's paid weekly, biweekly, or semi-monthly.
- Schedule and classification. Days and shift, plus whether the role is full-time or part-time and exempt or non-exempt.
- Any conditions the offer depends on. A background check, license or certification verification, or reference check, stated plainly rather than implied.
- At-will language, where applicable. A short statement that employment can be ended by either party, so the offer letter isn't mistaken for a fixed-term contract.
- An expiration for the offer. A date by which the candidate needs to respond, so an open offer doesn't sit unanswered while you keep the role posted.
Job offer letter template
Copy this into an email or document and fill in the brackets. It's written for hourly and frontline roles — trim the schedule and classification lines if they don't apply to the position.
Dear [Candidate Name],
We're pleased to offer you the position of [Job Title] with [Company Name], reporting to [Manager Name].
Start date: [Start Date]
Employment type: [Full-time / Part-time / Seasonal], [Exempt / Non-exempt]
Pay: [$X/hour or $X/year], paid [weekly / biweekly / semi-monthly]
Schedule: [Days and shift — e.g., Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–3 p.m.]
Benefits: [Summary, or "as described in the employee handbook"]
This offer is contingent on [successful completion of a background check / verification of your (license or certification) / (any other condition)]. Employment with [Company Name] is at-will, meaning either you or the company may end the employment relationship at any time, for any lawful reason.
Please confirm your acceptance by signing below and returning this letter by [response deadline, typically 3–5 business days from the offer date].
[Company Name] · [Date]
Accepted: ___________________________
[Candidate Name] · [Date]
Job offer email template
For hourly and frontline roles the offer usually arrives as an email or a text, not as an attachment, because the candidate is deciding between you and somebody else this week. Here is the short version, built to be read on a phone. Everything in square brackets is yours to replace.
Subject: Your offer from [Company] — [Job title]
Hi [First name],
We would like to offer you the [job title] role at [Company]. Here are the details:
Pay: [$X per hour / $X per year]
Schedule: [days and hours, and whether it rotates]
Location: [site address]
Start date: [date]
Reports to: [name, job title]
Employment type: [full time / part time], [at-will where applicable]
[If applicable: This offer is contingent on [background check / drug screen / proof of certification]. We will send that separately and it usually takes [X days].]
If you would like to accept, just reply to this email by [date] and we will confirm your first day and what to bring. If you have any questions before then, call or text me on [number] — I would rather answer them now than have you wondering.
[Your name]
[Job title], [Company]
Three notes on why it is written that way. Pay and schedule sit at the top because they are what the candidate is comparing, and burying them under a paragraph of welcome invites a slower reply. Acceptance is one action — replying to an email — rather than printing, signing and scanning, which is a genuine barrier for a frontline candidate without a printer. And the contingency is stated up front with a timescale, because a background check the candidate did not expect is one of the most common reasons an accepted offer quietly falls apart.
Use the longer letter above where the role is salaried, where you need a signature, or where the terms run beyond what fits comfortably on a phone screen.
Job offer checklist
The letter is one step in a short sequence, and most offers that fall apart do so in the steps around it. Run this list for every offer, in this order.
- Before you call: the pay, shift and start date are approved, and the title matches the one in the job ad.
- The verbal or text offer: lead with pay and schedule, name any contingency and how long it takes, and say the written offer is coming today.
- The written offer: the eight blocks above, with the hourly rate stated as an hourly rate, the classification, and a deadline counted from the date at the top.
- Contingencies named: each check spelled out, with what happens if it fails. Medical exams and, in many states and cities, criminal-history questions wait until after the offer; see the conditional job offer guide.
- Background check authorization: signed before a screening company runs anything.
- The wage notice, where required: California (Labor Code 2810.5, non-exempt hires) and New York (Labor Law 195.1, every hire) need their own notice at hire.
- Acceptance received: a signature or a reply to the offer email, saved with the letter.
- Tell the candidate when it is safe to resign: only once the contingencies have cleared.
- First-day paperwork: Form I-9 Section 1 on or before the first day of work, Section 2 within three business days after; the Form I-9 requirements page has the detail, and the new hire forms checklist covers the rest of the packet.
- Close the loop: tell the other finalists once the offer is accepted, and keep the role live until it is.
Offer letter, offer email, and employment contract aren't the same thing
An offer letter is a written summary of the terms being offered — enough detail for the candidate to say yes or no, but usually not a legally binding contract on its own. An offer email covers the same ground, less formally, and is common for hourly and frontline roles where speed matters more than a signed document. An employment contract is a separate, more detailed agreement, typically used for salaried or executive roles, that spells out terms an at-will offer letter doesn't need.
If the offer is contingent on a background check, it helps to say what that check actually covers before the candidate asks — our background check overview covers what a standard check includes and how long it typically takes.
If the offer is contingent on a background check, a drug screen or a license verification, the wording of those conditions matters as much as the letter itself. Our guide to the conditional job offer covers what you can lawfully attach, in what order, and the notices required if you have to withdraw one.
Related: New Hire Announcement and Welcome Email Templates.
Frequently asked questions
How do you write a job offer email?
Put pay and schedule at the top, because that is what the candidate is comparing against a competing offer. Then location, start date, who they report to and employment type, then any contingency such as a background check with how long it takes. Make acceptance a single action - replying to the email - rather than printing, signing and scanning, which is a real barrier for a frontline candidate. Give a deadline and a phone number for questions. There is a copy-paste template above.
How do I write a job offer letter?
State the job title, start date, pay and pay frequency, schedule, reporting manager, and any conditions the offer depends on, such as a background check. Add a short at-will statement if the role isn't governed by a separate contract, and give the candidate a deadline to respond. Keep it to what the candidate needs to decide — the detailed policies belong in the employee handbook, not the offer letter.
How do you write a simple job offer letter?
For a simple, informal offer — common for hourly and frontline hires — an email covering the job title, start date, pay, schedule, and any contingency is enough; it doesn't need to read like a legal document. The template above works as either a formal letter or a shortened email, depending on what the role calls for.
What does a legit offer letter look like?
A legitimate offer letter comes from a verifiable company email domain, names a specific job title, pay, and start date, and never asks the candidate to pay for equipment, training, or a background check before starting. It also won't pressure an immediate decision or request personal financial information — like a bank account or Social Security number — before the candidate has accepted and completed standard onboarding paperwork through a verified channel.
What is a sample offer letter?
A sample offer letter is a completed example you can copy and edit, rather than a blank outline. A usable sample states the job title, the pay and how it is paid, the classification, the start date, any contingencies, and an at-will sentence. Three samples appear above: hourly non-exempt, salaried exempt, and a contingent offer.
What is the correct offer letter format?
Eight blocks in order: date and greeting; the offer sentence with title, company, manager and location; pay; classification and hours; start date and logistics; benefits eligibility with a plan-documents clause; contingencies; and the at-will statement with a signature line and an acceptance deadline.
What should an employment offer letter include?
Job title, company, reporting line, work location, pay rate and pay period, exempt or non-exempt status, scheduled hours, start date, benefits eligibility and when it begins, any contingencies such as a background check or license verification, an at-will statement, a deadline to accept, and a signature line.
Is an offer letter of employment a contract?
Not if it is written correctly. An offer letter states terms but should say plainly that employment is at will and that the letter is not a contract of employment for any period. Language such as "permanent", an annualized figure on an hourly job, or a promised bonus without discretion wording can push a letter toward being read as a contract.
Can an employer rescind an offer letter?
Yes, in an at-will state, though it is safer and fairer to do it before the start date and to say which contingency failed. If the withdrawal follows a background check run by a consumer reporting agency, the pre-adverse notice and adverse action steps apply before the decision is final.
How long should a candidate have to accept an offer?
Two to three business days for an hourly frontline role, up to about a week for a salaried one. Put the deadline in the letter rather than in a follow-up message, and count it from the date at the top of the letter.
Does an offer letter have to state the salary?
No federal rule requires a salary in the offer letter itself, but it should be there — the pay is the reason the candidate opens it. A growing list of states, plus the District of Columbia, require a pay range in the job advertisement (see pay transparency laws by state), which is a separate, earlier obligation. California and New York also require a written wage notice at hire that an offer letter does not automatically satisfy.
What is a formal offer letter?
A formal offer letter is the signed, written version of a job offer, usually a PDF on company letterhead attached to an email, with a signature line and a deadline to accept. It follows the eight-block format above and closes with the at-will statement. For many hourly roles a short offer email is enough; use the formal letter where the role is salaried, where the offer has contingencies, or wherever you need a signature.
What is an official job offer letter?
It is the written offer, sent by the employer through a channel the candidate can verify, usually a PDF on letterhead from a company email address, signed by someone with authority to hire. It names the job title, pay, classification, start date and any contingencies, carries an at-will sentence where that applies, and asks the candidate to accept by a stated date. A verbal or text offer can come first, but the official letter is the record both sides rely on. Sample letters and the eight-block format are above.
What should an offer letter for an hourly employee include?
The hourly rate written as an hourly rate, not converted to a yearly figure; non-exempt status and the overtime rule, which under federal law is at least one and one-half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek (U.S. Department of Labor); the scheduled shift and any differential; start date, time and address; benefits eligibility; contingencies; an at-will sentence; and a deadline to accept. Sample 1 above is written for exactly this case, and our overtime laws by state page covers state rules that go further.
A good offer letter still needs candidates to make one
A clear offer closes the loop once someone applies. Boostpoint's job advertising is what gets the applications in the first place.